Intermittent-alarm clock.



PATENTED JUNE 19, 1906.

W. E. PORTER. INT-ERMITTBNT ALARM CLOCK.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.8,1906.

my. more unwmupnsns WASHINGTON n cy UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 'WILSON E. PORTER, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIG-NOR TO NEW HAVEN CLOCK 00., OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, A

CORPORATION.

INTERMITTENT-ALARM CLOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

. atented tune 19, 1906.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, lVrLsoN E. PORTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Intermittent- Alarm Clocks; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the figures of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in

Figure 1, a partial view in front elevation of my improved intermittent-alarm clock with the front movement-plate removed; Fig. 2, a broken view, in vertical section, on the line a b of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a detached view of the oscillating alarm-lever and the coun terweighted coupling-hook mounted thereon Fig. 4, a detached perspective view of the hook Fig. 5, a proven perspective view of the stop-finger of the lever.

My invention relates to an improvement in intermittent-a1arm clocks of the type shown and described in my prior patent, No. 580,056, dated April 6, 1897, the object being to produce a simple, reliable, and compact intermittent-alarm mechanism composed of few parts and assisting rather than handicapping the action of the time-train during the sounding of the intermittent alarm.

\Vith these ends in view my invention consists in an intermittent-alarm clock having certain details of construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In carrying out my invention as herein shown I employ an oscillating alarmlever 2, having its lower end enlarged and formed with abearing-hole 3 for the reception of a pivot 1, by means of which the lever is pivoted to the inner face of the front movementplate 5. At its upper end the lever 2 is divided or branched to form a right-hand arm 6 and a left-hand arm 7. The said arm 7 is turned inward near its outer end to form a bend or reach 8 and then upward to form an inclined stop-finger 9, the said bend or reach 8 being formed to carry the finger 9 back over the third wheel 10 of the time-train. The inner edge of the finger 9 is engaged by a pin 12 in the outer face of an escapementwheel 13, coacting with a verge 14 on a vergearbor 15, carrying a hammer 16. The wheel 13 is mounted on an arbor 17, having a pinion 18 meshed into by the main wheel 19 of the alarm-train, which may be of any ap proved construction, it being only necessary so far as my present invention is concerned that a wheel of the alarm-train shall be furnished with a pin or projection for engagement with the stop-fmger 9 of the alarmle ver 12.

The left-hand arm 6 of the lever 2 carries upon its inner face a counterweighted coupling-piece or coupling-hook 20, pivoted on a stud 21, whereby the arm is pivotally suspended above or in close proximity to the third wheel 10 of the timetrain. The said hook is formed at its upper end with an arm 22, extending from right to left and bent downward and inward to form a tooth 23, properly inclined for ready entrance between the teeth of the wheel 10. The hook 20 is also formed with a forwardly-moiecting stop-finger 2 1, arranged to engage with the lower edge of the arm 6 to limit the swinging movement of the hook from right to left on its pivot 21.. The hook 20 is also formed with an arm 25, bent inward from right to left and terminating in a counterweight 26, which acts to swing the hook downward from left to right and enter its tooth 23 between the teeth of the wheel 10. The outer edge of the arm 25 engages with a pillar 26 of the clock-movement when the lever 2 is swung to the limit of its excursion in that direction and causes the hook to be swung from right to left, whereby its tooth 23 is lifted out of engagement with the wheel 10. At its lower end the lever 2 is formed with an arm 27, engaged by a spring 28, which exerts a constant effort to throw the lever 2 from right to left. The time-train of the clock may also be of any approved construction and needs neither detailed illustration nor description. I may merely say that the third wheel 10 is driven by a second wheel 29, in turn driven by a first or main wheel 30. The mechanism of an intermittent-alarm clock is well shown in my prior patent, before referred to.

IVhen the let-off cam (not shown) has released the let-ofl spring 31, and therefore allowed the same to disengage itself from the stop-wire 32, carried by the verge-arbor 15, the power of the alarm-spring (not shown) is thrown upon the pin 12, which is engaged with the stop-finger 9 of the lever 2, which is at this time coupled with the third wheel 10 of the time-train by means of the couplinghook 20, the tooth 23 of which is entered between two of the teeth of the said wheel 10. Therefore as the said wheel 14 is slowly rotated in the direction of the arrow a by the main spring (not shown) it will be assisted in rotation in that direction by the alarmspring. As the wheel 10 moves from right to left the lever 2, which is coupled with it, also moves from right to left. At a predetermined point in the movement of the lever 2 from right to left the pin 12 rides over the stopfinger 9, whereby the alarm-train is freed for the sounding of the alarm, which sounds until the said pin rengages with the said finger, which depends upon the readiness with which the lever 2 is recoupled with the wheel 10 by the hook 20. In this connection it may be explained that as soon as the pin 12 rides over the finger 9 the spring 28 acts to swing the lever 2 from left to right. During the movement of the lever 2 from right to left the hook 23 is lifted nearly out of engagement with the teeth of the wheel 10, so that when the pin 12 rides over the finger 9 and releases the lever 2 to the action of the spring 28 the tooth 23 is in readiness to ride out of engagement with the teeth of the wheel 10 for the free movement of the lever 2 from left to right. The lever is stopped in this movement by the engagement of the edge of the arm 26 of the hook with the inner face of the pillar 26, whereby the hook is swung so that its tooth 23 will be lifted well above the teeth of the wheel 10. The counterweight 25 of the hook must now be relied upon to swing the same in the opposite direction, so as to reenter its tooth 23 between two teeth of the wheel 10, whereby the lever 2 is recoupled, as it were, to the wheel 10. Just as soon as this takes place the lever 2 will not yield to the pin 12, as the same revolves with the wheel 13 but the lever being coupled to the wheel 10 its finger 9 will stop the wheel 12, and

hence the alarm-train, and restrain the same until the movement of the lever and wheel together from right to left has released the pin 12 and permitted the lever to be uncoupled from the wheel by being thrown from left to right by the spring 28, and so on.

It is apparent that in carrying out my invention some changes from the construction herein shown and described may be made. I would therefore have it understood that I do not limit myself thereto, but hold myself at liberty to make such departures therefrom as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim 1. In an intermittent-alarm clock, the combination with a wheel of the alarm-train, of a pin carried thereby, a vibratory alarm-lever having a stop-finger for engagement by the said pin, a coupling-hook carried by the said lever, and a wheel of the time-train engaged by the said hook, whereby the lever is coupled with the said wheel. I

2. In an intermittent-alarm clock, the combination with a wheel of the alarm-train, of a pin carried thereby, a vibratory alarm-lever having a finger for engagement by the said pin, a pivotal hook carried by the said lever, a wheel of the time-train engaged by the said hook, and a spring for the actuation of the said lever.

3. In an intermittent-alarm clock, the combination with the escapement-wheel of the alarm-train, and the third wheel of the timetrain, of a pin carried by the said escapementwheel, a vibratory alarm-lever having a stopfinger for engagement by the said pin, a spring for operating the said lever, and apivotal hook carried by the said lever and coacting with the said third wheel for coupling the lever therewith.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILSON E. PORTER.

lVitnesses CLARA L. WEED, GEORGE D. SEYMOUR. 

